Singaporeans Host Another Shoe Drive Collecting More Than 100,000 Pairs!

The Singapore company Million Lighting Pte Ltd recently held yet another shoe drive for Soles4Souls this past December—collecting and donating 40,000 pairs of shoes to Soles4Souls, bringing their total to more than 100,000 pairs.

Million Lighting, Singapore’s oldest lighting company and a trendsetter in providing lighting solutions for any and all needs, is the first company in Singapore and Asia to collaborate with Soles4Souls on such a large-scale shoe drive.

What began as a personal effort for Million Lighting’s Chief Operating Officer, Mrs Nana Au-Chua to collect used shoes among friends, soon became a huge shoe collection project when a simple flyer about the shoe drive which her staff has created went viral on social media such as Instagram and Facebook.

The news of the shoe collection galvanized Singaporeans from all walks of life to come forward to participate in a meaningful cause. Companies, organisations and schools also came forward with lorry loads of donated shoes.

“Schoolchildren, including kindergarteners, individuals, families with children, and companies started coming to our company’s warehouse every day with bags full of shoes, and some were new ones too. I was overwhelmed and touched by the generosity of so many Singaporeans willing to give away their shoes, many of which were new or lightly worn,” said Mrs Nana Au-Chua.

All of the donated shoes will be distributed to Soles4Souls’ micro-enterprise programs that create jobs in Haiti, Honduras and other developing nations. The resulting revenue will help entrepreneurs provide basic necessities for their families. For example, for every pair of shoes sold in Haiti, an entrepreneur can provide five meals for their family—which means Million Lighting’s collection could help provide 500,000 meals!

Due to the public’s enthusiastic response, Million Lighting has decided to adopt the Soles4Souls as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Project for its own staff. “The shoe drive brought about the spirit of giving and injected new energy into the company,” said Mrs Nana Au-Chua.

Million Lighting plans to host another shoe drive in the late spring or early summer and is traveling with Soles4Souls in the fall on an international shoe distribution trip—a chance to see their impact first hand.

Million Lighting Co Pte Ltd is Singapore’s oldest lighting company and a trendsetter in providing innovative lighting solutions for residential, commercial, technical and architectural lighting needs. Since its establishment in 1967, Million Lighting has evolved into a global lighting company with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia. It has provided creative lighting solutions in over 20 counties, including Singapore, China, India, Russia, Maldives and the Middle East.